South Africa captain Faf du Plessis will miss the first Test against England at Lord’s for family reasons.
The 32-year-old returned home to attend the birth of his first child but will not fly back to England in time for the start of the series on Thursday.
Team manager Mohammed Moosajee said: “The difficult nature of the delivery has delayed his return to the UK.”
Opener Dean Elgar will captain the side for the first time, while Du Plessis will rejoin the squad later this week.
Theunis de Bruyn, who made his Test debut in March, or the uncapped Aiden Markram will replace the skipper.
Seamer Vernon Philander has been cleared to play after missing the drawn warm-up fixture against England Lions with an ankle injury.
In addition to Du Plessis’ absence, South Africa are without pace bowler Dale Steyn, who has not recovered from a shoulder injury, and former captain AB de Villiers, who is taking a break from Test cricket.
The match is Joe Root’s first since being appointed England Test captain.
